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Overview

New York Times bestselling historical romance superstars Stephanie Laurens and Mary Balogh, along with beloved fan favorites Jacquie D’Alessandro and Candice Hern—the four authors who brought you It Happened One Night—are back with It Happened One Season. Even more inventive than their bestselling first anthology, It Happened One Season presents four love stories set during an unforgettable Regency social season—each passion-rich novella based on the same themes chosen by readers during a month-long online contest…yet each one surprisingly, delightfully unique!

Product Details

About the Author

#1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens began writing as an escape from the dry world of professional science, a hobby that quickly became a career. Her novels set in Regency England have captivated readers around the globe, making her one of the romance world's most beloved and popular authors.

Growing up on Long Island, New York, Jacquie D'Alessandro fell in love with romance at an early age. She dreamed of being swept away by a dashing rogue riding a spirited stallion. When her hero finally showed up, he was dressed in jeans and drove a Volkswagen, but she recognized him anyway. They married after both graduating from Hofstra University and are now living their happily-ever-afters in Atlanta, Georgia. They have one grown son, who is a dashing rogue in the making. The author of more than thirty historical and contemporary romances, Jacquie loves to hear from readers and can be contacted through her website.

Candice Hern is the award-winning author of historical romances set during the English Regency, a period she knows well through years of collecting antiques and fashion prints of the era. She travels to England regularly, always in search of more historical and local color to help bring her books to life.

New York Times bestselling, multi-award-winning author Mary Balogh grew up in Wales, land of sea and mountains, song and legend. She brought music and a vivid imagination with her when she came to Canada to teach. There she began a second career as a writer of books that always end happily and always celebrate the power of love.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

It happened one Season is an anthology of stories from four historical romance writers. The basic premise for all of the stories is the same. All of the hero's are second sons and heirs, their older brothers have only daughters, and there can be no more children. The younger sons must all go on the marriage mart and marry quickly to ensure the succession away from an unworthy relative. It could have been a boring book but all four authors came through with a unique spin on the story that made it enjoyable to read.
The first story is The Seduction of Sebastian Trantor by Stephanie Laurens. Sebastian, who was a code reader in the army, is taking a respite from a crowded ballroom. Into the study where he sits, sneaks in Miss Tabitha Makepeace. She is looking for information about a blackmailer who is threatening two of her friends and wonders aloud about a sequence of letters she finds. When Sebastian speaks up and states that it is a code, the relationship begins. In order to work together, they must become engaged in order to spend time together.
The second story is Only Love by Mary Balogh. Widow Cleo Pritchard believes her future is set with no happy marriage in sight and a life of being alone and unloved. Major Jack Gilchrist has been charged by his older brother to find a wife. Both had met before during the wars and never forgot each other. It seems the perfect solution to get married, but she has doubts about her ability to conceive after five years in a childless marriage. She proposes that they get engaged but call it off if she cannot prove her ability to have a child.
In Hope Springs Eternal by Jacquie D'Alessandro, Alex Trentwell has taken a secret caretaker role with Miss Penelope Markham after the death of her brother under his command. After she loses her governess position due to the discovery of a scandalous art work she made, he makes a point of finding her and trying to help. Her reputation precludes any other offers of a position. His guilt over the circumstances of her brother's death prods him to offer marriage.
The final story is Fate Strikes a Bargain by Candice Hern. Nathanial Beckwith has been told by his older brother that he must take a bride and have children to secure the inheritance. At a ton event he meets Phillippa Reynolds a young lady with a noticeable limp. Despite her physical difficulties she is a charming young lady and Nathanial decides to propose to her. She is anxious to live a full life in spite of her family smothering her with concern. He is having a hard time getting used to civilian life and has residual issues due to his wartime experiences.
All of the novellas work together. The book was a good read with each story offering something different. The plot device works in all of the stories without being stale. There wasn't a weak offering in any of the four parts. I have long been a fan of Stephanie Laurens and Mary Balogh. I am new to Jacquie D'Alessandro and Candice Hern. The great thing about an anthology is that it gives you a chance to read a new author. I am adding two new ones to my must read list.

harstan

More than 1 year ago

"The Seduction of Sebastian Tranter" by Stephanie Laurens. Military code breaker Sebastian sneaks into a library to escape the gala. Tabitha enters the library mumbling about a blackmailer's letters. Sebastian says it is a code and offers to help her catch a rat, but must pretend an engagement that he plans to make real.----------
"Only Love" by Mary Balogh. Cleo the Widow and Jack the Major met before the war and meet again after. His brother orders Jack to marry in order to sire the male heir he cannot. Jack wants Cleo, but she agrees to be his mistress until she proves whether she can carry a child.----------------
"Hope Springs Eternal" by Jacquie D'Alessandro. Alex has vowed to care for Penelope, whose brother died under his command. He locates her after a scandalous work she created leaves her with her reputation tattered. He offers marriage, but needs to tell her the truth about her brother.--------------------
"Fate Strikes a Bargain" by Candice Hern. Having just returned from the war, Nathanial is told by his brother to marry and sire children so the title remains in the family. He meets Phillippa who has a severe limp and is overly protected by her loving caring family. Nathanial has his own issues from the war that haunts him, but proposes marriage.-----------------
Using the same historical theme of second son bachelors returning from the war needing to sire heirs as the title older brother has no male offspring; It Happened One Season is a wonderful collection with four engaging diverse renditions to the premise. Ironically the females make each tale as they are not diamonds to the Ton but are to the men who love them.---------------
Harriet Klausner

hopelessromanticLM

More than 1 year ago

This is an enjoyable read if you like the short story/novella format. It is a great way to get an inkling of the various authors' style without having to invest the time and money in reading a whole novel. Definitely worth a look see.

tjEJ

More than 1 year ago

I enjoyed all the stories even though they were similar. I love these writers.

Lona Thibodeaux

More than 1 year ago

Was a fun read i liked all 4

AAR

More than 1 year ago

IT HAPPENED ONE SEASON by Stephanie Laurens,Mary Balogh,Jacquie D'Alessandro and Candice Hern is an historical romance set in Regency England.It is four different stories written by four wonderful authors each with their unique writing style.It is about four returning,second titled Lords,who are battle scarred and weary,and four shy,unattractive,spinster lady's.The four hero's need to marry to carry on the family title as the older titled brothers all have girls.When there brothers ask them to marry to ensure the succession they do so for duty,and family but soon learn that marriage with the right lady will be no difficulty.The four heroine's are shy,unattractive to some,independent,have had a few Seasons with no suitor's.They are also forthright and out spoken with strong determination and no intentions of marriage until our four hero enter the picture.What a delightful book with four short stories of love,romance,sweet sensuality,by four unique,talented authors that will have you turning pages and wanting more.This is a historical romance event that to miss. It Happened One Season will have you memorized from the first page to the last page.A must read.This book was received for the purpose of review from Net Galley and the publisher and details can be found at Avon Books,an imprint of Harper Collins and My Book Addiction Reviews.

The_Reading_Reviewer

More than 1 year ago

The Seduction of Sebastian Trantor by Stephanie Laurens: With his brother unable to produce an heir the responsibility of finding and marrying a woman capable of the task falls to Sebastian Trantor. A former soldier who loves the unexpected but does not love the Ton at all because it is unpredictable. But a pleasant surprise arrives in the form of Tabitha Makepeace who it turns out envisions herself a spy or sorts. She is trying to solve a mystery and find the blackmailer out to hurt her friend's reputations. It seems when teamed up with Sebastian the odds are good the culprit will get caught as they are two great minds who like the puzzle and search for the answers unconventionally. Lies, deceit and blackmail all rolled up into a neat package for the two who not only find the criminal but also discover that love can be a complete and utter delight when you least expect it.
Only Love by Mary Balogh: Cleo Pritchard was an unrecognized beauty who felt that everyone tossed aside and left her as unproductive. Even though she was married, during his lifetime her husband was very uncaring and only needed a body in his life not a warm, loving wife in his bed. Jack Gilchrist was faced with his own drama in that he had to marry to save the family estate and find a wife tomorrow and who should walk in to solve that problem but the beautiful Cleo. All Cleo wanted was a lover, but Jack wanted something permanent and the two shall meet somewhere in the middle of the bed and decide who will win this battle of the wits. Let's see how bountiful this couple can be.
Hope Springs Eternal by Jacquie D'Allesandro: to right a wrong Alec Trentwell has to find Miss Penelope Markham the sister of the man he believes he murdered on the battlefield. He is overcome with guilt and his sense of duty compels him to tell her what he has done. But when he sees Penelope he never imagines that the only thought on his mind was to ask for her hand in marriage. Alec knows she is imperfect and reassures himself that the truth will set him free just not right this minute because he has to kiss Penelope before she walks out of his life. The truth will be told and the test of love will be given for both of them.
Fate Strikes a Bargain by Candice Hern: Nathaniel Beckwith and Philippa Reynolds are masters at hiding their imperfections and staying away from the crowd, especially anyone in the ton. Nathaniel and Philippa are not about the rules or the timing and never about the proper behavior because they know nothing gets accomplished with too many politically correct statements. They are misfits that find one another and never forget that you may limp into a relationship but a leap of faith will help you fall in love.
The theme is this anthology cannot be summed up in one word here or there. Yes each one of these stories does have a military hero and a woman with something unique about her, but other than that each one stands alone in the way it is written and the building of the characters love and passion between them. The stories flow from one to another without missing a heartbeat of love or a whisper of desire and that makes this book a wonderful read.

jball_421

More than 1 year ago

Loved all the stories but my favorite was the one by Candice Hern!

bookwormygirl on LibraryThing

8 months ago

A reclusive former soldier, the younger brother of a titled lord, must marry in order to ensure the succession of his family line. The heroine is shy and/or unattractive and has never had a suitor. These are the underlying threads in the four stories you'll find that It Happened One Season revolve around. The fun part - each author uses this thread and the stories they weave are all so very unique and different from one another. The Seduction of Sebastian Trantor by Stephanie Laurens - Sebastian Trantor has no choice but to find himself a wife. His older brother has just had his fifth daughter and he knows that gh is the only one that can ensure the succession of the family line. When he meets Tabitha Makepeace she is trying to break into a desk at a ball that they are both attending. He immediately knows that the feisty and clever young lady is "wife material". He just has to convince her of that.Only Love by Mary Balogh - Cleo Pritchard is making the best out of her widowhood. Her belated husband was not a very nice man and she has found that, although she is alone, she can live with that. Plus, there is always the thought of a memorable kiss she shared years ago with Major Jack Gilchrist to keep her warm at night. When by chance Cleo bumps into Jack at a ball, she fibs, giving him the impression that she is content with her life. Jack, on the other hand, can't stop thinking about Cleo and that kiss they shared. Knowing that he must find a wife, he tries to woo Cleo into that role, but Cleo knows that Jack only wants an heir and she is not sure that she can have children. It will be up to Jack to convince Cleo that his feelings for her are true and an heir is the least of his worries.Hope Springs Eternal by Jacquie D¿Alessandro - Alec Trentwell is still plagued by guilt over the death of Edward Markham. In fact, he feels that to make up for it, he must take care of Edward's sister, Penelope. But Penelope is nothing like what Alec imagined. She is a beautiful woman, an artist surrounded by scandal and in dire need of funds. Since she refuses his charity, Alec commissions her to paint his portrait, but when she is threatened by more scandal and ruin he does the only thing a gentleman would.. he proposes. But how will she feel about him once she learns the part that Alec played in her brother's death?Fate Strikes a Bargain by Candice Hern - Nathaniel Beckwith is in no mood to court the young ladies and their mama's in order to find himself a bride... thus he finds himself hiding behind a strategically-placed orange tree. But to his surprise, he meets Philippa Reynolds... also hiding behind said orange tree. Phillippa is there for different reasons... she has a disability that renders her unable to walk or dance without a severe limp. Nat can't help but find himself enchanted by her friendly and kind demeanor... so he finds himself striking a bargain... an engagement. I thought the premise of these stories was so fun. I was interested in seeing if these authors would be able to use the same plot points and come up with different stories and I was not disappointed. These stories could not be any more different. I think out of the four, Fate Strikes a Bargain, was my favorite. I loved the sweet tale of a handicapped heroine and her brave hero. I also enjoyed the introduction to mostly all new authors - since I had only read Mary Balogh in the past. These four stories will leave you feeling satisfied with their enchanting heroes, delightful heroines and requisite happy ever afters. Fans of historical romance will rejoice over this wonderful anthology.

tarenn on LibraryThing

8 months ago

IT HAPPENED ONE SEASON by Stephanie Laurens,Mary Balogh,Jacquie D'Alessandro and Candice Hern is an historical romance set in Regency England.It is four different stories written by four wonderful authors each with their unique writing style.It is about four returning,second titled Lords,who are battle scarred and weary,and four shy,unattractive,spinster lady's.The four hero's need to marry to carry on the family title as the older titled brothers all have girls.When there brothers ask them to marry to ensure the succession they do so for duty,and family but soon learn that marriage with the right lady will be no difficulty.The four heroine's are shy,unattractive to some,independent,have had a few Seasons with no suitor's.They are also forthright and out spoken with strong determination and no intentions of marriage until our four hero enter the picture.What a delightful book with four short stories of love,romance,sweet sensuality,by four unique,talented authors that will have you turning pages and wanting more.This is a historical romance event that to miss. It Happened One Season will have you memorized from the first page to the last page.A must read.This book was received for the purpose of review from Net Galley and the publisher and details can be found at Avon Books,an imprint of Harper Collins and My Book Addiction Reviews.

bookworm2bookworm on LibraryThing

8 months ago

I reviewed this book for Romance Reader At heart website:RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS: The first anthology from these amazing ladies, IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT was so good that I was eagerly awaiting their second endeavor with IT HAPPENED ONE SEASON. With the exception of Ms. D'Alessandro, all the other authors are on my keeper shelf, and I had very high expectations, which, I have to be honest, were met.As the above blurb states, this book offers four different stories with the same plot line. All four of the heroes are military men, while our heroines are wallflowers and have been firmly `on the shelf¿. Since this is an anthology, I¿ve decided to read `Fate Strikes a Bargain¿ first, then from there on I went to `Only Love¿, followed by `The Seduction of Sebastian Trantor¿, leaving `Hope Springs Eternal¿ for last, as I¿m not familiar with the author. As of right now, I intend to correct that fact and familiarize myself with said author because I truly loved her contribution to this book.In `Fate Strikes a Bargain¿, Candice Hern gives us Nathaniel Beckwith and Phillippa Reynolds. They meet while both are in hiding from the throng at a ball. It doesn¿t take Nat long to realize that this charming, if not dazzling, woman is all that he needs in a wife, so he proposes to her on the spot, even after she tells him of her disability, a pronounced limp. And while they strike a bargain, it¿s a bit more difficult convincing their respective families to go along with them, so they agree to court for the remainder of the Season, just to appease their family.I loved these two, and I wished the story was longer so that we¿d learn more of Nat and his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Philippa¿s coping with her disability. However, for a short story, Ms. Hern has yet outdone herself. I thoroughly enjoyed this well told, warm and compelling love story.Mary Balogh¿s `Only Love¿ was so good, it made me cry. Our hero in this tale is Major Jack Gilchrist, and our heroine Cleo Pritchard, a war widow of unremarkable looks. Both are surprised and delighted to encounter each other at a ball as they¿ve had a previous encounter long ago. Cleo¿s husband was his commanding officer, and Jack was the one to break the sad news of her husband¿s passing. During that brief moment of despair, they shared a kiss, which neither ever forgot.Jack, aware that he has to wed as soon as possible, decides to propose to her the day after the ball.Our heroine, being a practical person, has some doubts, so she proposes a counter offer of her own to our hero. She¿ll accept his proposal on one condition only: if, by the end of the Season, it¿s proven that she can conceive and give him an heir.What¿s a man to do when given such a proposal? Read this sweet love story in which Ms. Balogh¿s superb writing held me spellbound from the beginning to the end.`The Seduction of Sebastian Trantor¿ was Stephanie Laurens¿ turn in introducing us to her own war hero, Sebastian Trantor, code breaker during the wars. As with the other hero¿s, Sebastian must marry posthaste to prevent his cousin ¿Mad Freddie¿ from inheriting. Tabitha Makepeace has a mystery to solve in order to capture a blackmailer. Nothing will deter this young lady, not even a locked door of a library at a ball she¿s attending. And that¿s how she comes face-to-face with our hero, who is himself hiding in the same library. Since the evidence she uncovers is in code, Sebastian offers her his services; but they get discovered, and in order to save her reputation, Sebastian proposes to her on the spot and in front of witnesses. Both are in accord and are planning to use their sham of `betrothal¿ as cover while in hot pursuit of the bad guys.As usual, Ms. Laurens¿ heroine is sharp and witty, and we get drawn into a story of mystery and intrigue while rooting for our hero as he tries to convince his lady love that she¿s the perfect wife material for him.And now we come to the last story, `Hope Springs Eternal¿ by Jacquie D¿Alessa

reesa00 on LibraryThing

8 months ago

Four novellas - all four heros are military men (or former military men) who are second sons and now must marry because their elder brothers need an heir. There are a lot of female offspring between these four families!The first novella, Stephanie Laurens' was a disappointment. I kept putting it down and it took forever for me to finish. However, the remainder of the novellas are much, much better.The remaining three plot lines all featured tortured heros and just amazing heroines. The stories were wonderful and I wished they all could have been full length novels. So, skip the Stephanie Laurens novella or at least read it last because the rest of this anthology is pretty amazing.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

4 different sets of characters, 4 different styles. Enjoyed how each writer put her own unique spin on the same basic plot and wrote 4 truly different stories. I love Mary balogh but hers was my least favorite, other 3 were top notch...If you like regency romance stories, which I do.

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